In a shocking revelation under the RTI, an activist on Thursday said that the Centre has stated that it has no records of any kind about meetings or discussions with farmers organisations before finalising the three farm bills.
Mumbai-based RTI activist and social campaigner Jatin Desai had filed a query with the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare seeking details of the same.
Desai said, "I had posed three simple queries on how many meetings were held with the farmers’ organisations before the three farm Ordinances were promulgated, where these took place or who was invited for them, and also how many meetings conducted to discuss the draft laws between the Ordinances and passing of the bills in Parliament.”
However, the concerned department's CPIO merely replied saying: "This CPIO does not hold any record in this matter."
Desai says the RTI response is incomplete and misleading. He has submitted an appeal against the same to know if any consultations were held between farmers organisations and government or not or whether the records/minutes of the same are maintained or not. "How can such significant laws with immense ramifications for the country's agriculture and economy be passed without holding any consultations with the farmers and other stakeholders, as it appears from the CPIO's reply," he demanded.
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However, if the CPIO's reply is indeed correct that there are no records maintained of such crucial discussions, Desai pointed out that it was a serious matter as it conveys the impression that the laws 'were pushed through arbitrarily' without talking to all concerned, especially those who are directly impacted by it like the country's agriculture community.
Given the massive farmers' agitation currently underway outside Delhi and adjoining states, he urged the Agriculture Department to come out with the facts in the matter at the earliest in the public interest.